Your baby or child can learn to be flexible and adapt to life’s different situations, but you have to expose your child to things to get there.
No matter what it is, the more you do it, the more your child will get used to it. When it comes to activities your family likes to do, expose your baby to them as early as appropriate so that both you as parents and she as the child can get used to it.
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Kids Can Learn to Be Good Travelers
While growing up, my parents lived about a 3.5-4 hour drive away from their parents. We would go visit often. My sister and I became very adept at entertaining ourselves in the car. We were really good travelers. My parents started young and did it often.
If your family likes to travel, the more you do it, the more baby will get used to it. However, please remember to have balance. You need to be sure you provide the consistency your child needs so she can have somewhere to return to once you get home. A new vacation every week is going to cause severe disruptions to your child’s routine.
Kids Can Learn How to Behave in Public
My Dad is big into playing sports. Even as an “old man” (love you Dad!), he would play on five different basketball leagues at one time. When I was a baby, this was no different. As the oldest, my Mom easily took me to basketball games. I was used to the noises. I grew up very used to the behavior that was expected of me at the games.
Read: Flexibilizing a Baby
At a young age, my Dad was able to bring me to watch his games while my Mom stayed home with my baby sister. Times were different then, but I was used to behaving as I should. If your family enjoys attending and playing in sporting events, starting baby at them at a young age will help get her used to it. If she is older, she will get used to it the more she goes.
Kids Can Learn to Be Flexible
This not only applies to traveling and loud events, but everything. The first bath Brayden had, he hated it. Over time, he grew to tolerate and eventually like it. The first time Kaitlyn felt grass, she was not excited about it. She wouldn’t put her bare skin on the grass. Over time, it no longer phased her.
As you teach new skills (self-soothing), wean from bottle to sippy cup, instruct on hand folding, introduce new foods, and the many other things you will teach, your child might be a bit weary at first, but she will get used to it with time and consistency.
As baby is exposed to sights, sounds, smells, etc., she will get used to it and learn how to adapt. Of course, you need to take into account overstimulation and avoid it. You can ease her into things if she needs it. Just as you don’t need to avoid all things she dislikes, you also don’t need to throw her into the deep end, so to speak. Some children do much better with a gradual introduction to things.
